Ulster County Naturalization Ceremony Canceled; Local Leaders Demand Answers

Ulster County’s Dec. 12 naturalization ceremony has been abruptly canceled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, one of several ceremonies scrapped across the Hudson Valley this month. USCIS says there were not enough candidates to move forward, but local officials argue the decision is arbitrary, poorly communicated and harmful to residents awaiting the final step toward citizenship.

Ulster County Clerk Elect Taylor Bruck, who has been calling for the federal government to reinstate the ceremony, said he first learned of the cancellation about three weeks ago — part of a wider move by USCIS to suspend upstate ceremonies.

“They originally canceled them — not just ours, but all upstate ceremonies — about three weeks ago,” Bruck said. “They reached out and just said that the December ceremonies were going to be canceled and that there would be no more ceremonies going forward indefinitely.”

USCIS first claimed county courts did not meet statutory requirements, he said, even though counties have long met those standards. “We pushed back on that, citing the fact that we do, in fact, meet the statutory requirements — the requirements being a seal and a court clerk with local jurisdiction, all things that we’ve had for centuries here in our local courts,” he said. “So they rescinded the cancellations at that time.”

But early last week, the agency again scrapped ceremonies — this time saying there were not enough candidates to naturalize. “This is the first time we’ve ever heard that there wasn’t enough citizens to be naturalized,” Bruck said. “We typically would just do a smaller ceremony if there wasn’t as many as they expected.”

Bruck said there is no legal minimum for how many candidates must participate. “It seems to be an internal policy from USCIS,” he said. Rep. Pat Ryan has since written to the agency seeking clarification on the alleged quota.

The latest cancellation was delivered by email, Bruck said, after the county asked for its December list of candidates. “They responded … and said that we won’t be having a ceremony. They did not send a list, and that’s the last we’ve heard.”

How many local residents were expecting to take the oath remains unknown. “We had asked to do larger ceremonies,” Bruck said, noting the county had requested capacity for up to 100 candidates. “But no indication as to how close to that number we were going to get and no idea how many there were waiting.”

Ulster is not alone. Ceremonies were also canceled in Dutchess and Putnam counties, and others were scrapped across New York in November. “From county to county, they’re being canceled for seemingly different reasons,” Bruck said. “We can’t get much information about why these policies are changing.”

Bruck said the cancellations follow other recent shifts, including the agency’s decision to end reimbursements to counties that host naturalization ceremonies. “We again received an email that just said we won’t be reimbursed anymore and don’t expect to ever be reimbursed again going forward,” he said.

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers are seeking answers, he noted. “It’s really a bipartisan issue,” Bruck said. “Legal immigration is something we all generally agree on.”

Bruck argued that moving ceremonies solely to federal offices strips the process of community meaning. “When you do them at the federal locations, there is no ceremony. It’s essentially like going to the DMV,” he said. “What we offer locally is more of a celebration … our friends and neighbors can be part of the process and welcome in our new citizens.”

As of Monday, he said, there has been no response from USCIS to local or congressional inquiries. “It’s tough to know even what to do,” he said. “When you don’t receive any [answers], it’s hard to know where to go.”

Bruck said he worries most about the candidates left waiting. “I can’t imagine what the folks that are waiting to be naturalized feel, because I’m sure they’re in a similar boat,” he said. “A lot of this process comes down to a small group of people making decisions, and if those people are not responsive or being transparent, we’re all left in the dark.”

He encouraged affected residents to contact federal offices in Albany or New York City, where some naturalizations are still occurring, though at a slower pace.

To those who expected to become citizens this week, he offered an apology. “These are folks that have done everything the right way,” Bruck said. “I’m hopeful that USCIS does reinstate these for 2026. We have really big plans — 2026 is the 250th anniversary of the country. I would just tell them hold tight. We’re advocating as hard as we possibly can … because they certainly shouldn’t be punished for doing it the right way.”

Image: Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck at a naturalization ceremony earlier this year. (Credit: Ulster County Clerk’s Office)